Schizonphrenic sci-fi actioner that ultimately disappoints - 62%

Rating: 6/10 (27 March 2007)

Ever since "Minority Report" brought the science back into sci-fi, there seems to be a shift away from the mindless dross that has plagued us for the last few years into more thought-provoking, intelligent dramas. However, director Michael Bay is not known for thought-provoking or intelligent films and at least he has a real go with this. But sometimes mixing brawn with brains isn't necessarily the way to go and I do feel that this film is part water and part oil. Let me explain.
Ewan McGregor plays Lincoln Six Echo, a young man living in a strange community where everyone wears the same clothes and there is a "Big Brother" thing going on. Aside from being utterly suppressed in every way, Lincoln's only respite comes in the beautiful form of Jordan Two Delta (Scarlett Johansson) and his jittery companion Jones Three Echo (Ethan "Nelix" Phillips). Told that the outside world has been contaminated, their sole aim is to win the lottery prize of going to the Island - the last contamination-free part of the world - and repopulating the human race. Sounds good, right? Only Lincoln isn't so sure and desperate to uncover the truth, he finds that the god-like Dr Merrick (Sean Bean) has more terrible secrets than he ever imagined, forcing Lincoln and Jordan to go on the run.
To say any more would give the game away but needless to say, the plot twists one way and another. The film certainly looks the business though I'd like to think that the future is more advanced than hovering trains, flying highways and relentless product placement. McGregor and Johansson provide a solid leading pair but once the story really gets going, it's almost as though they lose enthusiasm. When the action kicks in, the characters seem to take a back seat as the whole thing descends into car chases and gun fights. Oh dear. Bay's instinct for action remains undiminished (he even recreates the car chase from "Bad Boys 2", substituting cars for train wheels) but it doesn't really fit in with what has gone before it. In truth, the action didn't really get the blood pumping as one would have hoped - in fact, the closest my heart came to skipping a beat was when you first see the Cadillac Cien concept car and that was largely due to excess speeds racing the thing on "Gran Turismo 4" on my PS2.
And ultimately, this is the problem with "The Island". It takes a long time to get going and when it does, it never fully engages with the viewer. While it doesn't do anything wrong, it never really stretches itself to the degree you'd hope it would. Personally, I felt that the scenes before the chase begins were actually the strongest and there was still much to explore in that regard instead of resorting to tired action clichés that Bay knows off by heart. Instead of creating a credible and commendable sci-fi film, Bay spends the whole film trying to make another "Bad Boys" but then again, what did you expect from the director of the cursed "Armageddon"? This could have been something special but in the end, chalk up yet another wasted opportunity. Ho-hum.